Baby Mine
by SometimeLonely
Summary: Direct Sequel to "Straight to You" - Part 3 of The Rogers-McCoy Clan stories. Clarice Rogers-McCoy has a plan. Getting pregnant was not part of that plan. But, now she is. Looks like the plan is going to have to change.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any characters or recognizable franchises contained in this story. No profit is made from writing of it.**

**A/N: This is the first part of Clarice's story, but not the last. That will come later as all of these stories are being posted chronologically. I hope you like it. **

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Clarice didn't know why she was surprised when Alois told her that the most work he was willing to put into her unexpected pregnancy was to give her some money for an abortion. It wasn't like he'd done anything in the course of their relationship that would have led her to believe that he loved her or would take responsibility at all for any child that he'd put in someone's belly. She didn't place the responsibility solely on him, of course. It took two to tango, as her Papa always said, and she hadn't insisted on a condom when they were so hot that she'd allowed him to take her against the bathroom door at a party. She hadn't been sleeping around, though she'd known that he was, and every other time she had insisted on the condom, so it was the only time that their little "oops" could have happened.

What she'd had with Alois had been, purely, fun. He was irresponsible and crass and everything she had never really been. All her life she had been the one of all of her siblings who had been the "perfect" child. She worked hard at school and at her chosen extracurriculars, had gotten a part time job as soon as she'd been old enough. At a time when all of her friends were rebelling and arguing with their parents, her Daddy had been her best friend and no one had been prouder than Daddy and Papa when she'd gotten a full ride for four years to The University of Chicago, where she was double majoring in both Chemistry and Art History, with the intention of applying for the Art History Restoration Master's program after completing her undergraduate degree. The first three years of her undergraduate life had been more of the same, just like high school. She worked hard, both at school and at her job. She went home nearly every weekend to spend time with family, occasionally dated or went out for the night with friendly acquaintances from one of her chosen departments, and she was content. Then Alois had come into her life.

They'd met at the student center when he'd knocked her books and her food into her lap while she was eating her lunch in his effort to escape from campus security with a live chicken in his arms from one of his latest pranks. He'd grinned charmingly at her and then kept running. She hadn't really thought about it beyond the fact that he'd been handsome in a unique sort of way. Green eyes, high cheekbones, warm caramel colored skin, and dyed black hair with blue tips. She hadn't even really been angry about the food on her clothes. Just because she chose not to be foolish at school didn't mean that she begrudged others doing it. She'd made her decision that partying really wasn't for her after her Nana had allowed herself to drink herself sick at her parents' wedding. It had never really appealed to her after that, but she knew it did to others. College was supposed to be a fun time, after all, and a time to make as many mistakes as possible so that you had funny stories to hide from your kids. She'd been surprised when Alois had sought her out, offering to take her for a drink in apology, his father's money having stopped him from being expelled yet again. She'd said yes mostly out of curiosity and interest in why the tips of his hair were exactly the color purple of her skin when she'd seen him again. They'd spent a fun two months sleeping together as often as they could. She'd had sex in more interesting locations in that two months than the rest of her life up to that point. He'd taken her places she'd never been. She'd drunk more, tried a couple of recreational drugs she never had before, and laughed more than she ever had in her life.

They'd both known that they were too different to make something permanent work between them and so she hadn't been surprised when, right about the two and half month mark, she'd felt his attention wandering and noticed that he'd begun to come see her smelling like another woman. She hadn't really minded. He'd offered to take her to one last party, a kind of goodbye gesture, and she'd seen it for what it was, so they'd gotten drunk and had hard, exciting sex in the bathroom and then gone their separate ways.

A week later, before even taking a test, she'd known that she was pregnant. It should have been too early, but, somehow, she just knew. She'd set a hand low to her belly and looked at herself in the mirror. There was nothing about her appearance, nothing different yet about how she felt, except for the fact that she knew she was pregnant. She'd taken some time and approached her decision as pragmatically as she'd approached every other big decision in her life. She sat down and made a list of pros and cons about her three options. Abortion, adoption, or Becoming a Parent. She thought through, and wrote down everything that came into her mind, but knew, just as certainly as she knew that she was pregnant, that abortion wasn't right for her and if she carried a baby to term, if she let herself feel someone growing inside of her, she'd never be able to let the baby go. Because she would love that baby with all of her heart. So, keeping the baby and becoming a parent, it was.

She hadn't wanted to be surprised when Alois had scoffed and become mean about it when she'd told him about the pregnancy, then showed him the three separate tests she'd taken, each a different brand. He was a spoiled child and he had never been made to take responsibility for anything in his life. He'd called her names, slut, whore, gold digger, and tried to throw money at her, demanding she "get rid of it." After the initial shock she'd reacted just how she knew her Papa would have. She'd frozen him out, become the ultimate ice queen. She'd sat up straighter in her chair the longer his tantrum had gone on and when he was finally done she'd told him exactly what was going to happen. She wasn't going to take his money. She was going to move home after graduation, have the baby, still attend her Master's program by commuting using her powers, and raise her baby. He would not be put on the birth certificate. He would have nothing to do with the baby. And he would have to live the rest of his life knowing it. She had to admit, a little of her Daddy came out when she hadn't been able to simply leave when she'd said her piece. She was almost out of the door when her anger had snapped and she'd turned around and punched him, feeling a deep satisfaction when she felt his nose break.

She'd done exactly what she said she was going to do then. With graduation only a few weeks away she hadn't told her parents and worked to finish up the school year and prepare herself to move back home, even though she was supposed to be staying for her master's program. The day of her graduation was the first day that she experienced any morning sickness and it had hit her hard. It wasn't like how they showed it in the movies for her. She didn't actually need to vomit, but she was so nauseated she wished she could and just get it over with. She knew that she was pale and looked miserable by the time her family arrived. She'd told them that she just wasn't feeling well, which her Daddy and her siblings seemed to take as truth, but her Papa gave her a look that made her feel like he somehow knew.

Not that it mattered. Her graduation was an accomplishment that she'd worked four years for, and he hadn't said anything as she'd shown them to the seats she'd saved for them and then left to go to her own seat. She'd never been as proud of herself as she was when she accepted her degree from the dean. But, she had to be honest, when Alois had walked across the stage, his nose no longer perfect, she'd felt pretty damn proud then as well.

When they'd been at home later, after a celebration dinner that she'd barely touched, she'd sat down on the porch swing and looked out at the trees that had been her constant friends since she was a girl. It was one thing to know that she was pregnant. It was another entirely to consider how she was going to tell her fathers. Luckily, her Papa solved that for her when he'd joined her on the porch swing, a mug of steaming peppermint and ginger tea for her in his hand. She'd taken it and let out a relieved sigh when she'd smelled it and it was the first thing all day that hadn't made a wave of nausea wash over her.

"How far along are you?" He'd asked, gruffly, quietly, his default setting.

"Six weeks," She'd answered. Why lie when he already knew? "How did you know?"

He tapped his nose, "You smell different, like Jocelyn smelled at the beginning of her pregnancy with JoJo."

Clarice had sipped her tea and they'd sat in a comfortable silence for a while, skootching closer to each other until she was tucked under his arm, her feet pulled up onto the porch swing. She knew what it was that he wanted to know and when she'd finally worked up the courage to tell him she'd almost finished her tea.

"I'm keeping it."

He'd pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I thought you might say that."

"Really?"

He'd turned to her then with a small smile and eyes wet with tears that he wouldn't let fall, "Sweet girl, you have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. And you love deeper and quicker than anyone, too. I know that you probably fell in love with that tadpole in your belly the moment you realized it was there."

"I did," She leaned further into him, "Are you disappointed in me, Papa?"

"Disappointed?" He'd chuckled roughly, "Hell no, sweet girl. I know you and along with that big heart, you've also got a good head on your shoulders. I bet you probably have it all already worked out. I mean, I would be happier for you if you were a little older and had someone you were sharing your life with, but that's only because it's hard enough to be a parent. You're adding both single and young to that. It's going to be hard sometimes and I'd spare my kids from difficulties in life if I could. But, I also know that that little tadpole growing inside you is going to have one of the best mamas in the world."

"Thanks, Papa." She'd smiled when he pressed a kiss to her hair, "Does that mean you'll tell Daddy for me?"

"Nope," He'd popped the 'p' sound, "You're going to have to do that on your own, sweet girl."

"Thought so."

"You know I love you, Clarice, don't you?"

She'd smiled and kissed his cheek, "Yeah, I know, Papa. I love you, too."

Telling her Daddy had gone better than either she or her Papa had thought it would. They'd been expecting a big, dramatic reaction from him. Sometimes he could be so very old-fashioned about things that no one really expected him to be, like his refusal to use a microwave or his distrust of the dryer, but when she'd told him over breakfast he'd assured her, just like her Papa had, that he loved her and then asked her to talk him through her plans after the baby was born. In the end she couldn't have been happier. Her parents wanted her home so that they could help her during her pregnancy and right after the baby was born, but they made it clear to her that she was the parent in this situation. They'd done their time and they wouldn't be getting up in the middle of the night for feedings or diaper changes. They were going to be there for her, but they were the grandparents and they intended to have every privilege and excuse that came with it. She'd agreed easily, her heart swelling with happiness that they loved her and the "tadpole," as her Papa had called it, so much.

Her siblings, for the most part, had all been surprised and joyous at the news. Neville had automatically transported himself from England, where he and Harry had finally settled after taking a few years to travel and take care of dark spots of magic they found around the realms, and wrapped her in his arms right in the middle of their call. She'd relaxed into his embrace the way she had since they were very young and could only smile when Neville assured her that he was going to be the best uncle the world had ever seen.

Kurt had been surprised and a little unsettled, not sure how to treat her. Every time he saw her he did one of two things. He either treated her like glass or offered her food, even if it was something he'd made for himself. While both of those things were endearing or enraging, depending on her mood that day, she didn't see him nearly as often as she wished she could. He was away at school himself, being brilliant and having the time of his life as he finally allowed himself to bloom, working his way through his own double major. He never told them what he planned to do with his education, simply winking and assuring them that he had a plan. She was incredibly proud of him. He, more than herself or Neville, needed to be away from home to find out who he wanted to be. He was too much of a chameleon at home, trying to please everyone and be everything they needed him to be instead of who he wanted to be. But, now he was finding himself and he was so much happier, which made the rest of them happier and more relaxed around him as well.

The Trio each had their own reactions to her pregnancy. Jamie basically became a ghost to her, unless it was to, on very rare occasions, pull out a chair or climb up to the attic if she was about to do it for herself. She was concerned that he was upset with her or her decision until she finally cornered him enough to talk to him about it. He finally admitted that he was having a tough time controlling the strength that was coming with age for him and he was worrying himself sick that he would hurt her or the baby. She'd called him a dummy, wrapped her arms around him, and told him to talk to their parents. They both knew what it was like to suddenly have insane strength and stamina and could help him with control if that was what he was so worried about. After that he allowed himself to be around her more, but seemed uncomfortable with her pregnancy in general and she didn't force it on him, simply happy that he was finally staying the same room as her, not leaving just because she walked in.

JoJo was excited as only a teenage girl could be, bouncing around, talking about how wonderful babies were and how excited she was to be an auntie. She squealed over baby clothes and promised practically her whole life away if Clarice would allow her to babysit at least once a week. Clarice smiled and nodded at what she said, then arranged for her to babysit Leah's youngest for the evening while the rest of the family went to a movie for "practice." JoJo assured them all that she did not need any help what-so-ever, that she knew everything she needed to know about taking care of a baby. Just as Clarice expected, she'd given in about an hour in and called Clarice practically in tears because the three-month-old had a diaper explosion all over his back that was also now all over her and she was trying to clean them both up, but she couldn't stop gagging and the baby wouldn't stop crying and she was tired and didn't know what to do. After that experience JoJo was excited more on a hypothetical level. She was excited to buy things and help their Nana plan a baby shower, but she admitted that she probably wasn't the best babysitter of the family. When Clarice was toward the end of her pregnancy, however, there was no one better that JoJo for watching silly movies with for a reason to cry.

Jake surprised them all. He was almost as excited as Clarice was about her pregnancy, almost as in love with the life growing inside of her as she was. When she'd first told them about it, he'd stayed up for nearly 48 hours straight so that he could research pregnancy online and read through five or six books about pregnancy on his e-reader. In the end, he retained a ton more than she had about pregnancy, always there when she was questioning if she could eat something or not, or if she couldn't remember how big the baby was at any given stage of its development. He always got up before he knew she'd awaken to make sure she had crackers and her tea on her bedside table when the morning sickness was at it's worst. He wouldn't let her climb ladders or be on her feet for too long as the pregnancy progressed, kept track of any swelling in her legs and ankles, monitored her fluid intake to make sure that she didn't dehydrate. As much as she loved him it was driving her to distraction, until her Papa pointed out that he was worried. He was monitoring her and the baby so closely because he loved them. Of all of the Rogers-McCoy children he was the one with the most separation anxiety and anxiety in general. So, she kept herself calm and tried to appreciate what he was doing as something he did because he loved her. And he also gave the best foot massages when she was big as a house and couldn't even see her feet any longer. Jake was also, surprisingly, one of the only people she was okay with reaching out to touch her belly at any time without asking.

Pasha seemed to approach her pregnancy from a scientific point of view. He researched it and the changes that would happen in her body as she went through her pregnancy, and then it kind of an "out of sight, out of mind" deal for him until she began to show. At that point his interest was piqued again, but more along the lines of how a doctor would care for a pregnant woman and the baby inside of her. Since their Papa was the only doctor in town he was, by default, Clarice's doctor, and, with her permission, allowed Pasha along at all of her appointments, talking through what he was doing and what they were looking for every time she had an appointment. Toward the end, when the baby could be felt easily, he even allowed Pasha to tell him how the baby was positioned by touch. He was always right. Though he was only seven Clarice teased him and told him that he would have to work on his bedside manner if he ever wanted to be a doctor like their Papa.

"I don't know if I only want to be a gynecologist or a general practitioner, Clarice," He'd said, earnest in the way only a young boy can be, "I may want to be a doctor of other kinds, like Papa, or Uncle Spock, or Uncle Scotty."

She just ran a hand over his beautiful, curly hair and smiled.

The one thing that surprised her the most during her pregnancy was when Alois showed up on her porch Thanksgiving morning. His hands were shoved into pockets of jeans that were more worn than anything Clarice had ever seen him in before. The coat he was wearing was obviously secondhand as it was terribly out of fashion and his hair looked like it needed a trim. Her surprise and curiosity at his appearance led to let him in and take him into the kitchen where a single look from her had the family dispersing, though she had no illusions that most, if not all of them, would be listening in somehow. Harry was the only holdout, his protector's instincts stronger than his fear of her wrath.

"Do you need someone to stay?" he asked her quietly.

She smiled at her brother's lover, so grateful that Neville had found him, "No, thank you." She leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek, "Even big as a house I can handle myself."

"You're beautiful," he assured her, "Just give a shout if you need anything."

"I will."

She took her time pouring Alois a cup of coffee and preparing it the way she remembered he liked and making herself a cup of the tea that her Papa had turned her onto at the beginning of her pregnancy. She carried both mugs to the table where Alois was sitting and set them down before sitting herself and looking at him expectantly.

"I'm so sorry!"

Her eyebrow went up, just like her Papa's did when he was both curious and skeptical of something when the words sounded like they were torn from his chest. He'd always seemed to have a kind of unaffected tone to his words that came with being raised with money. But, those three words were the most real statement she'd ever heard from him. Once he started, it was as if a dam had broken and he told her everything. He told her how he hadn't been able to land a job after graduation and he'd thought that he would just drift as he always had before, with his parents paying for everything. But, that hadn't happened. His mother and father, self-made and proud of that fact, told him that they were going to cut him off for his own good, that he'd become the type of person they'd always despised. They told him that they loved him very much and that they knew that they had done him a serious disservice by giving him everything all his life. And they'd told him that they needed to help him make it right before it was too late. So, he'd started from the very bottom at his father's company, the only help he was given. He'd learned about budgeting and not taking people for granted the hard way. It had been hard, but he felt he'd finally understood and he was working hard for the first time in his life, but he was finding satisfaction in the life he was creating for himself. He'd never been closer to his parents and they were a stronger family for it as well.

He told her that, as he worked on being the kind of person his parents could be proud of, he kept coming back to the one major regret of his life, telling her to have an abortion and throwing money at her. He told her that he knew it wouldn't change or heal the past, but he'd been terrified when she told him she was pregnant. He couldn't even take care of himself, how was he supposed to take care of her and baby, too? So, he'd taken the easy way out as he always had before, throwing money at the problem and hoping it would disappear. But, then she'd done exactly that. And he'd realized he'd lost a friend and potentially a child. The guilt and despair, the regret, built up until it had come to a head. He'd borrowed a little bit of money from his parents for a plane ticket and had come to see her. He didn't expect anything. He didn't deserve it, but he'd wanted to make sure that he told her face to face just how sorry he was. He'd known, in the back of his mind, that she'd probably kept the baby, but seeing her pregnant had been a shock. He told her she was beautiful and, for the first time, she believed he actually meant it.

"Do you want to feel her?" Clarice asked quietly when they'd sat in the silence after his confession and apology.

"Her?" Alois's eyes lit up.

"Her," Clarice confirmed. She took his hand and set it to her belly where the baby was pressing against her, "That's probably an elbow or a foot, depending on how she's laying. My papa or my youngest brother, Pasha, could tell you more certainly."

"She's really real," Alois voice was filled with the wonder that Clarice herself had been feeling since she found out she was pregnant. She recognized the way his heart was filling up with a love he never expected and felt forgiveness filling her own. She would have been just fine not having him in her little girl's life, but she knew how hard it was to be the child that didn't have both of her biological parents in her life. She knew how hard the wondering was, even if whoever was there was as loving and as wonderful as her dad had always been. She didn't want that for her baby girl. If Alois was going to love their little girl…if he wanted to be there, then she was going to let him. She pressed a sisterly kiss to his cheek and asked him if he wanted to stay for Thanksgiving dinner and he accepted. It was possibly the most awkward Thanksgiving dinner they'd ever had, with her Dad and Harry attempting to be polite, her Papa not even trying, and all of her brothers and sister following his lead. But, Alois held up to the scrutiny. He didn't say anything at all when Jake purposefully spilled his water on his lap and fully admitted the kind of ass he'd been when her Papa finally gave in and gave him the third degree. If he'd been dishonest every single one of them around the table would have known and they would have torn him apart for it, but he wasn't. And stronger, better trained men had fallen apart under her Papa's questioning, so in the end they all grudgingly accepted him and his apologies.

The last month of her pregnancy Alois called almost every night and came out every weekend. When he told his parents that Clarice was carrying his baby and he wanted to take responsibility for her, to have his daughter in his life, because he'd felt her move inside Clarice and he loved her, his parents gave him access once again to his trust fund, so it was easy for him to buy the plane tickets to come out. He helped Jake and her Daddy make Neville's old room across the hall from her into a nursery, filling it with toys, furniture, clothing, and everything else Clarice could possibly want or need for their baby. She hadn't really been worried about the belongings part of things. She knew that Uncle Tony would have taken care of everything if necessary, but it was nice that it was the baby's father that was doing it for her.

They also talked that last month more than they ever had when they were sleeping together, and they formed a friendship that neither expected, but both welcomed. When he wasn't scared and acting the spoiled child Alois was actually a very witty, very intelligent person. She was happy to say that by the time he brought his parents out to meet her, the weekend before her due date, they were true friends. His parents were wonderful, sweet people that she adored right away and they felt much the same about her and, by extension, her family. They were just as open as her own fathers were to her and Alois co-parenting and felly understood and appreciated the fact that she and their son were never meant to be a couple. They were happy to have a grandchild coming, though it was much sooner than they expected. When they left Alois' mother made Clarice promise to call her if she had any questions and also secured a promise that she would call as soon as she went into labor. Clarice didn't have a problem making either promise and, in fact, did call when she was a week overdue, miserable, and the baby seemed to be in no great rush to make her appearance. They talked about different ways to jumpstart labor and used them all, but none of them worked.

In the end, the baby made her way into the world just as one year was turning to the next. As Clarice had always planned, she was born at home, delivered by her proud Grandpapa. Alois, Jake and Frigga were the only others that Clarice wanted into the room and her family and Alois' parents respected that. They all had a New Year's Eve party of sorts downstairs while a new life was coming into the world above them. Neville and Harry kept Pasha entertained. Jamie and JoJo, a little put out at not having their third with them, played pranks and set off fireworks that were carefully monitored by their dad. Kurt paced at the bottom of the stairs and wouldn't be distracted so everyone else let him be. Alois' parents had a surreal conversation with Loki and Thor. The rest of the family would come by in the next days when both mother and child had had a chance to rest, though Clarice had spoken to them all on the phone when labor was still in its early stages and they'd all sent their love and good wishes.

The delivery went as well and as easily as Frigga and Leonard could expect and they both helped it along as they could. Len with his medical training and Frigga with her magic. It wasn't the first baby that either of them had delivered and their confidence and calm helped keep the laboring mother and everyone else in the room confident and calm as well. Clarice remained focused on seeing her baby girl and took strength from her brother and her new-found friend and baby's father as they held her hands.

Cerabeth Guinivere Rogers-McCoy came into the world just as the clock began to chime the new year, healthy and perfect with bright blue eyes, wisps of pink hair, and very strong lungs that she immediately used to voice her displeasure.

When Thor heard the strong cries of the baby upstairs he jumped to his feet and let out a cry of joy that was echoed in the thunder cracking outside.

"Welcoming a new life into the world is the most joyous of celebrations! Let us drink, feast, and sing songs in honor of this most blessed event!"

Though they didn't all share his enthusiasm, every person agreed and the party was given second life, and when Frigga and Leonard joined them they were plied with food and drink, strong embraces, and question upon question about the new addition.

Upstairs though, it was peaceful and calm as Clarice napped in her bed, Alois slept lighting in a chair in between her and their new daughter lying in her basinet, and Jake, Jake stood guard over the little girl who had already stolen his heart, making silent promises that she would always be protected and would never want for anything.

Cerabeth, exhausted from the act of having been born, slept though it all, peaceful and secure.


End file.
